The seasonal labor offensive has begun in a turmoil of price hikes. The Keidanren, the Japan Business Federation, has rejected, as usual, the labor’s demand to heighten wages on the across-the-board basis; the employers’ entity insists on a wage scheme that relies on respective business performances of enterprises. The government led by Prime Minister Kishida proposed a 3% wage hike with a hope, setting the Year 2022 as the first year of his New Form of Capitalism initiative.
LET’S BREAK THROUGH WALL OF LOW WAGES BY JOINTLY FIGHTING FOR MINIMUM WAGE!
The Spring Labor Offensive was launched several decades ago with an objective to set, minimally, a universal wage basis to apply to many companies since in Japan working conditions were set by each of them. This labor campaign then developed to a labor offensive of people of Japan, which worked to restrict the capitalist market of the country, defending the rights and livelihood of working population. Today, the movement has sunken to the bottom of history.
Figures for wage hike are not open
The Rengo, the Japan Trade Union Confederation, offers a target of 4% wage hike in this spring labor campaign, showing the minimum wage of 1,150 Yen per hour for the affiliate member unions. Meanwhile, reportedly, however, the unions of Toyota do not demand an overall increase of salaries, but they request a surge on the basis of a type of job and a rank in the company. Other big corporations are almost the same as Toyota. Figures of an increase are not announced openly.
The labor offensive should be a workers’ movement to win a wage hike with united efforts of trade unions. A wage hike basis, however, is unknown publicly today. That means the labor declares the spring offensive has finally been closed.
The working population in recent years faces ‘unstable employment and anxieties for the future’. Even if he/she can be luckily employed as a regular worker, they may encounter sexual and power harassment and offenses on personality. Overworking is a routine practice: they get depressed, die or commit a suicide due to overload labor. The Japanese society, today, exerts workers to work until they get collapsed.
Some young people cannot find a stable job after graduating from a school. Some quit a job as the working conditions are harsh. Some are driven out of the workplaces. Some female workers are obliged to return to their job immediately after giving a birth to a baby. Some unemployed have lost insurance benefits after the coverage is over.
The minimum wage in Tokyo counts 1,041 Yen, while the lowest is in Kochi and Okinawa Prefectures, which is 820 Yen. If they work for 2,000 hours a year, the total is around 1.6 -2 million Yen. This is the so-called working-poor. They are obliged to economize management of housing, food and clothing, with no savings. They want to marry to have a family, but impossible. They work very hard, but they cannot see a bright future.
Wages in Japan have been declining toward the minimum level; more than a half of workers, disregarding he/she is employed on the regular or irregular basis, earn low salaries. This is a result of the ‘thirty years that were lost’.
Get back to joint struggles!
Labor groups, like the Rounken (Labor Movement Association) and the Minimum Wage Campaign Committee, have proposed for these years to organize ‘a common front to demand a big increase in the minimum wage. The drive has been successful, incorporating the national center.
The minimum wage links not only with salaries of the majority of workers, but also with the norm of first salaries after graduation from a school, the standard of benefits of the Life Protection Scheme and, in particular, the pensions after retirement. It raises the lowest criteria up to guarantee people’s livelihood.
Due to the heightened price of oil, food cost and electricity rate have been incremented. People’s life gets tougher with uncertainties.
Let’s fight the current Spring Labor Offensive to make the Year 2022 as the first year of joint struggle of all trade unions to increase the minimum wage!
春闘は日本の企業別労働条件決定形態を、せめて賃金原資(ベース)くらいは企業横断的に決めようということが出発点だった。それが国民春闘となって、資本主義市場を規制し、働く者の権利と生活を守ってきたのだが、「今は昔」である。
要求額も非開示
連合は、今春闘の賃上げ目標を４％、企業内最賃を１１５０円と示した。とは言え、トヨタ労組は賃上げ要求をせず、職種・職位ごとの要求という。他の大企業産別も大なり小なりそれに倣ならい、要求額すら非開示だ。
春闘は、労働組合が共同して賃上げを求める運動なのにベア要求すら非開示なら春闘の終焉を自ら宣言したに等しい。
｢雇用不安・将来不安｣、これが今日の働く者の実態だ。運よく正社員になれたとしても、パワハラ、セクハラ、人格攻撃が横行し、過労うつ、過労死・過労自死、働くものを酷使して壊れるまで使い尽くす労働社会が現出している。
正社員として就職できない新卒の若者や、苛酷な労働を逃れて会社を辞めた離職者、リストラされた正社員、子どもを産んですぐに職に就かなければならない女性、失業手当が切れた失業者等々。
東京の最低賃金は１０４１円、一番低い高知・沖縄は８２０円で、２０００時間働いても年収１６０万円から２００万円程度、ワ—キングプアそのものだ。貧しい住居と切り詰めた衣食を余儀なくされ、貯蓄はできない。家族形成の道は断たれ、いくら働いても未来は開けない。
日本の賃金は最低賃金水準に吸い寄せられるように下落し、半数以上が正規・非正規を問わず最低賃金に低迷している。これが「失われた30 年」の実態だ。
共闘を取り戻せ
労運研や最賃キャンペーン実行委などが提唱する｢最低賃金大幅引上げの共同｣が、この数年ナショナルセンタ—を超えて始まっている。
最賃はその水準に固定化される多数の働く者の存在だけでなく、初任給基準や生活保護費給付水準、何よりも労働者の将来年金額に連動する。多くの国民の最低保証水準を底上げするのが、最賃引上げだ。
原油高などで光熱費や食料品が値上げされ、生活不安が強まっている。今春闘を「最賃・労組共闘元年」にしよう。
英訳版↓
No. 1245 Spring Labor Offensive amid Price Hikes
The seasonal labor offensive has begun in a turmoil of price hikes. The Keidanren, the Japan Business Federation, has rejected, as usual, the labor’s demand to heighten wages on the across-the-board basis; the employers’ entity insists on a wage scheme that relies on respective business performances of enterprises. The government led by Prime Minister Kishida proposed a 3% wage hike with a hope, setting the Year 2022 as the first year of his New Form of Capitalism initiative.
LET’S BREAK THROUGH WALL OF LOW WAGES BY JOINTLY FIGHTING FOR MINIMUM WAGE!
The Spring Labor Offensive was launched several decades ago with an objective to set, minimally, a universal wage basis to apply to many companies since in Japan working conditions were set by each of them. This labor campaign then developed to a labor offensive of people of Japan, which worked to restrict the capitalist market of the country, defending the rights and livelihood of working population. Today, the movement has sunken to the bottom of history.
Figures for wage hike are not open
The Rengo, the Japan Trade Union Confederation, offers a target of 4% wage hike in this spring labor campaign, showing the minimum wage of 1,150 Yen per hour for the affiliate member unions. Meanwhile, reportedly, however, the unions of Toyota do not demand an overall increase of salaries, but they request a surge on the basis of a type of job and a rank in the company. Other big corporations are almost the same as Toyota. Figures of an increase are not announced openly.
The labor offensive should be a workers’ movement to win a wage hike with united efforts of trade unions. A wage hike basis, however, is unknown publicly today. That means the labor declares the spring offensive has finally been closed.
The working population in recent years faces ‘unstable employment and anxieties for the future’. Even if he/she can be luckily employed as a regular worker, they may encounter sexual and power harassment and offenses on personality. Overworking is a routine practice: they get depressed, die or commit a suicide due to overload labor. The Japanese society, today, exerts workers to work until they get collapsed.
Some young people cannot find a stable job after graduating from a school. Some quit a job as the working conditions are harsh. Some are driven out of the workplaces. Some female workers are obliged to return to their job immediately after giving a birth to a baby. Some unemployed have lost insurance benefits after the coverage is over.
The minimum wage in Tokyo counts 1,041 Yen, while the lowest is in Kochi and Okinawa Prefectures, which is 820 Yen. If they work for 2,000 hours a year, the total is around 1.6 -2 million Yen. This is the so-called working-poor. They are obliged to economize management of housing, food and clothing, with no savings. They want to marry to have a family, but impossible. They work very hard, but they cannot see a bright future.
Wages in Japan have been declining toward the minimum level; more than a half of workers, disregarding he/she is employed on the regular or irregular basis, earn low salaries. This is a result of the ‘thirty years that were lost’.
Get back to joint struggles!
Labor groups, like the Rounken (Labor Movement Association) and the Minimum Wage Campaign Committee, have proposed for these years to organize ‘a common front to demand a big increase in the minimum wage. The drive has been successful, incorporating the national center.
The minimum wage links not only with salaries of the majority of workers, but also with the norm of first salaries after graduation from a school, the standard of benefits of the Life Protection Scheme and, in particular, the pensions after retirement. It raises the lowest criteria up to guarantee people’s livelihood.
Due to the heightened price of oil, food cost and electricity rate have been incremented. People’s life gets tougher with uncertainties.
Let’s fight the current Spring Labor Offensive to make the Year 2022 as the first year of joint struggle of all trade unions to increase the minimum wage!
February 9, 2022